TechGirls Exchange Program Brings Middle East and North Africa Teens to United States

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

July 31, 2014

From July 31-August 22, tech-savvy teenagers from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen will participate in the third TechGirls exchange program. While in the United States, they will engage side-by-side with American teens in the classroom and the community, working on their technical development and leadership skills. The TechGirls program provides the knowledge, resources, peer networks, and mentor relationships to encourage girls from the Middle East and North Africa to pursue higher education and careers in technology.

This year, the 24 participating girls will attend iD TechCamp, an interactive technology and computer camp, at American University in Washington, D.C. They will also meet with leading U.S. technology companies and work on community service projects in both Washington, D.C. and New York City. Representatives from top technology companies will meet with the girls, providing an opportunity for them to make important personal contacts and to expand their networks to compete equally in an often male-dominated field.

The more than 50 TechGirls program alumnae have shared their tech skills with more than 2,000 girls in their home countries, hosted conferences, and gone on to study at leading universities around the world. The success of TechGirls alumnae and the promise of the incoming class build on the U.S. global commitment to advance the rights of women and girls around the world, as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

The State Department and program partner Legacy International have teamed up with a diverse array of public and private sector companies for this year’s TechGirls program including: AT&T, Bank of America, Bully Pulpit Initiative, Corporation for Community and National Service, DoSomething.org, Facebook, Hell's Kitchen Farm Project, Girls Who Code, Google, National Building Museum, Tech Change, Tumblr, Yahoo!, and Verizon, among others.

Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #TechGirls. For more information, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at ECA-Press@state.gov.

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